Blood of a Brother
by Aelaer
Summary: Secrets can be let out. Dark can overcome Light. The strongest can be broken.


Title: Blood of a Brother: With the Enemy  
Author: Ainu Laire  
Rating: PG-13, T  
Warnings: AU, dark-fic, lots of angst  
Summary: Secrets can be let out. Dark can overcome Light. The strongest can be broken.  
A/N: This is no happy ride. You've been warned.

* * *

Darkness. Everlasting darkness. Its entangling snares swallow you; it takes away your strength, slowly but surely weakens you.

You thought you could hold on to the light. You thought you could resist. What a fool you were. No one can last long against Him.

Yes, I will admit, you did last longer than most. But in the end, you gave in. You told Him what he needed to know. And now, you pay the price.

Did you think He would bluff? Did you truly think that He would give up and move to another? You were a fool. He knew how close you were to him. He knew that somehow you were connected to him by a bond stronger than blood. And He used that against you.

How does it feel? How does it feel knowing you were used against him, he who is dearest to you? How does it feel that only because of your weakness, he is here within His clutches?

Tell me, my dear elf, how does it feel to know that only because of you, the Hope of Mankind is gone?

It was your fault from the beginning. He told you not to trust her, but you did. She was so sweet, so beautiful, such an enchantress. She was fair to you; she held no dark intentions, just a dark past that could be healed by friendship. In the end, she just betrayed you to Him.

What did you think when you saw her laugh over you? Did you think a maiden so lovely could truly be one with the Darkness? When you saw the hoard of orcs coming from all around, did you think that she would go against you? Even as you valiantly defended her, were you expecting her to join your enemies and bring you down? Aye, that is what I thought.

You should have seen that she was not normal. No maiden could possibly be as lovely as she was to your eyes; why was it that he saw it, but not you? Why did you not see it until it was too late?

But in the end, even a servant of Him was just a victim. You tried to show her the Light; perhaps she saw it. Perhaps she did not. But it does not matter anymore, for once He was done using her, she was destroyed. Maybe now she lurks in the Halls of Mandos, repenting for all the evil that she has caused in this world.

But she is not you. Even if her dark soul is at peace, your destroyed one is not. It is still trapped here, drowning in your guilt.

Tell me, Thranduilion, why all the guilt? Yes, it is your fault. But you should know that no one can stand long against the Dark Lord. You did hold out longer than most; longer than her, that's for sure. But in the end, you gave in, just like the rest.

It was hard to handle. Constant torture sessions with His deadliest servants. The same questions over and over and over again: 'Who is the heir of Isildur? What is his name? Where can we find him?' Day by day, the same tortures, the same questions. You resisted the temptations to give in; you knew the consequences if you did. But not even you could hold out against the Darkness.

He knew how to break you. The Dark Lord has been doing this for eons; He has been doing this longer than your grandsire's time. With the right amount of torture, despair, and darkness, He broke you. He discovered what He needed to know.

Did you still hold on to a sliver of hope? Did you think that possibly Aragorn would not be found? Was that small hope the only thing that has kept you alive thus far?

I can only imagine how you felt when you saw your friend being dragged in, beaten and ruined. I still remember your cry of despair. And yet even then, he looked up at you and said, "Do not give in." But you gave in long ago.

You still remember the look in his eyes when he saw you. Even though his words were 'Do not give in', his eyes said something else. He knew that you had already given up. Aye, he knew.

His eyes. They said so many things beyond those four words muttered from his parched lips. They asked you why you had trusted her and not him. They asked you why you had given in. They asked you why you had betrayed him… your brother? How could you betray your brother?

You did not answer him, for you did not know. You still do not know. Why did you betray him? Were you weak, or had you given up on life? Because she betrayed you, did you feel as if you needed to betray someone else? Whatever your motives, it does not matter. His blood is on your hands.

You know what Sauron does to those he does not need anymore. You have seen it. He killed his own servant, once she proved to be of no more use. So yes, my dear elf, yes, your time has come.

Do you wish to see your friend, your brother, before you leave? Do you wish to see what Sauron has done to the Heir of Isildur? Do you wish to see him defeated... his sullen, weary eyes looking up into yours? Do you wish to answer his questions before you depart this world?

Do you wish to tell him 'I'm sorry'?

Aye, I didn't think so.

As you pass into the realm of death, Legolas Thranduilion, remember this, and remember well.

The blood of a brother is on your hands.

Farewell.

* * *

Any thoughts appreciated :-)


End file.
